The present invention relates to automobile accessories and door features whose use in the interior compartment of the automobile provides convenient benefits to the automobile's occupants. More particularly, the present invention is a shield attached to the inboard top and side portion of the window pane or the top portion of the door frame of automobiles.
In conditions of snowy weather it is not uncommon for snow or ice that has accumulated on the tops of both overhead and doors, to enter the interior of an automobile when the door is opened. The modern aerodynamic styling of an automobile body often results in the seam between the door frame and overhead to be positioned vertically in line with the automobile's interior. Snow or ice accumulated in the vicinity of the seam will fall inside the automobile when the door is opened. This is especially inconvenient to the automobile's occupants should the snow or ice deposit on the seat.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a shield that prevents the ingress of snow or ice into the interior of an automobile upon entry by passenger or driver.
In the related art, there are disclosed numerous weather guards affixed to the window panes or doors of automobiles. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,034,342 (Hay), U.S. Pat. No. 2,318,143 (Cutting), U.S. Pat. No. 2,599,014 (Pritchard), U.S. Pat. No. 2,657,089 (Kaul), U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,466 (Kossor), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,341,811B1 (Schoelkopf) describe devices applied to the exterior of the automobile. U.S. Pat. No. 8,079,629 B2 (Raynor) discloses a shield attached to both door frame and overhead. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 1,593,187 (Mathis) shows a shield mounted interiorly, in the same vertical plane of the window pane. None of these devices extend laterally into the interior of the automobile, nor do they address the problem of snow deposits inside the automobile when the door is opened. As most automobile weather guards and awnings in the prior art are exteriorly installed devices, meant to combat the effects of weather, and weather further being generally associated with outside, external, or exterior happenings, the present invention as an automobile interior accessory is both novel and unobvious.